Chapter 894: Chapter 874: Identifying the Corpse
Jiayi crossed her arms, unable to suppress a shiver.
The shock of the Second Young Master’s death by explosion still hadn’t completely subsided.
Although the Second Young Master deserved it, the end he met was so chilling that just hearing about it sent shivers down her spine.
The door opened.
Jiayi saw Huo Zhenyang walking out accompanied by the police chief and immediately stood up.
"...That’s roughly how things happened. Please convey our condolences to Chairman Huo. Additionally, because the Second Young Master’s body was heavily damaged in the explosion, we performed cosmetic restoration after the autopsy. The body is currently stored in the morgue here. If Chairman Huo wishes to see him one last time, he can come by at any moment."
Although Huo Zhenxuan had been killed while resisting capture, which could be considered deserved retribution, he was still the Second Young Master of the powerful and influential Huo Family. The chief, terrified of offending Huo Tianpei, spent the entire morning carefully explaining the case to Huo Zhenyang.
Huo Zhenyang was silent for a few seconds. "Understood."
"If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back inside."
"Mm."
As the chief entered his office, Jiayi quickly walked over, her wide eyes fixed on him.
Huo Zhenyang knew what she wanted to ask and recounted what had happened to his younger brother the previous night.
"...The police found explosives in the wreckage of the blast. They compared it to the explosives planted in my car and confirmed they were identical. It appears he brought the leftover explosives with him and was accidentally shot, causing them to detonate."
Jiayi’s eyelashes fluttered. So, Huo Zhenxuan brought this on himself?
But for some reason, deep down, she couldn’t shake the feeling it wasn’t that simple.
"What are you thinking about?" Huo Zhenyang broke the silence, noticing her in deep thought.
"I’m wondering why he would carry unused explosives with him. Those were bought to target you, so he would’ve only purchased what he needed. After escaping from the detention center and staying on the run, it would’ve been inconvenient to carry any excess. Buying more made no sense."
A glint of something unplaceable flashed in his eyes. This seemingly naive woman was far from foolish.
She was thinking along the same lines he was.
She didn’t notice his intense gaze locked on her as she continued to ask, "Have they found the smuggler who helped the Second Young Master escape?"
"No. There are far too many smugglers, and in light of what’s happened, who would dare show their face? They’re probably in hiding, and it will be difficult to find them."
Jiayi exhaled lightly. So, the mystery of the Second Young Master’s death would likely remain an unsolvable case? No one would ever truly know the truth?
Some sudden thought made her shiver again, her hands turning clammy.
"Do you think there’s something strange about his death?" He read the pale panic on her face and carefully probed her thoughts.
She nodded. "I don’t think it was an accident. It might have been deliberate. Someone could’ve planted explosives on the speedboat and then called the police, using them to kill the Second Young Master."
His eyes lifted, a sharp, cold glint flashing. "You already have someone in mind, don’t you?"
She took a deep breath. "Su Yan."
As the name left her lips, a strange chill ran down her spine.
Su Yan’s involvement in Xiaolei’s death had been covered up by Huo Zhenxuan.
If Huo Zhenxuan were alive, he could expose her at any moment. There was a chance he even held damning evidence against her.
With Huo Zhenxuan dead, Su Yan could finally rest easy.
She might have even retrieved that incriminating evidence before he died.
Now, all the witnesses and evidence that could incriminate her were gone.
Su Yan...
If it truly was her...
Had she become this ruthless?
Jiayi’s thoughts mirrored what had just crossed Huo Zhenyang’s mind in the chief’s office.
He said nothing, but his expression grew even darker and more inscrutable.
Just then, the creaking of wheelchair wheels echoed down the hallway.
A woman’s voice, both soothing and sorrowful, drifted toward them:
"...Tianpei, please accept our condolences and try not to grieve too much..."
Both looked toward the sound and saw Huo Tianpei arriving at the police station, accompanied by Su Yan, George, and several assistants.
Huo Tianpei, seated in his wheelchair, had puffy, bloodshot eyes. It was obvious he had cried bitterly on his way here after receiving the devastating news.
Regardless of how many wrongs this scoundrel of a son had committed or how much he had tarnished the Huo Family name, he was still his own flesh and blood.
Even the thought of life imprisonment for his son was preferable to this permanent separation by death.
Learning of Huo Zhenxuan’s death during his capture had dealt a crushing blow to Huo Tianpei.
At his hotel, he’d had to take several blood pressure pills and doses of his Fast-acting Heart-saving Pills just to steady himself somewhat.
Huo Zhenyang walked up to him. "Dad."
"Where is Zhenxuan? I want to see him," Huo Tianpei said, his voice hoarse and strained.
"The remains are very badly damaged. It’s better not to," Huo Zhenyang replied.
Su Yan also had no desire to accompany Huo Tianpei to see the Second Young Master’s body and chimed in, "Zhenyang is right, Tianpei. You need to take care of your health. It’s better not to..."
Jiayi’s gaze fleetingly landed on Su Yan, though not without noticing the subtle trembling of her body.
A sign of fear.
She didn’t dare to step into the morgue, let alone look at Huo Zhenxuan’s body.
It wasn’t unreasonable. After all, seeing a body mangled so gruesomely by an explosion would disgust anyone, especially a woman. Her avoidance was understandable.
But Su Yan’s fear felt more like guilt and a guilty conscience.
Huo Tianpei, however, was resolute. "He’s my son. Now he’s dead, and I can’t even look at him one last time?"
Su Yan didn’t dare say another word and instead wheeled Huo Tianpei toward the morgue.
Huo Zhenyang and Jiayi followed behind them.
The morgue was frigid, the air cold and clammy.
A body lay on a cart in the center, covered by a white sheet.
Su Yan shivered again, gripping the handles of Huo Tianpei’s wheelchair tightly.
A police officer pulled back the sheet, revealing Huo Zhenxuan’s body to them.
Though it had undergone postmortem cosmetic work and tidying, the extent of the explosion’s damage was inescapable. The sight was grotesque, with his eyes even faintly ajar.
Seeing his son in such a state, Huo Tianpei could no longer hold himself together. His grief consumed him as he broke down into convulsive sobs.
Su Yan felt as though the corpse’s gaze was fixed on her. Icy dread swept through her as she looked away in a panic, swallowing and clenching her fists tightly.
Jiayi observed this and subtly exchanged a glance with Huo Zhenyang. She stepped forward and softly suggested, "Sir, the police require two immediate family members to view and sign off for identification. Zhenyang has already signed, and since you can’t stand, perhaps Su Yan can do it on your behalf."
Su Yan jolted in alarm and shot Jiayi a venomous glare.
Huo Tianpei, still consumed by sorrow, waved his hand weakly, signaling Su Yan to proceed.
Taking a deep breath, Su Yan reluctantly approached the cart, her heartbeat pounding in her chest as she forced herself to confront Huo Zhenxuan’s body.
Suddenly, Huo Zhenxuan’s hand slipped off the cart. The tag attached to his wrist brushed against Su Yan.
"Ah—!" she screamed, stumbling backward two steps, covering her mouth as it took her several moments to regain composure. She turned to Huo Tianpei, stammering, "I-I’m sorry, I..."
Huo Tianpei, though irritated by her lack of composure, didn’t pay it much mind, dismissing it as nothing more than a frightened reaction. He said nothing further.
Su Yan hastily finished signing the paperwork and returned to Huo Tianpei’s side.
In those fleeting seconds, her face had turned ashen, glistening with sweat. Her makeup was completely ruined.
